Hilton HHonors - Status Matching at other Brands

I stay in the Canary Wharf area quite frequently and have finally reached the end of the line with the Hilton London Docklands. Their reconition of diamond status is patchy at best ... the last straw was last night I was rewarded with an 'upgrade' to a room next to a very noisy water pump!

Will any other chains match my diamond status with their equivalent should I join their reward programs? Brands I'm thinking of are Crowne Plaza, Raddison or Marriott.

Thanks

Hyatt matches HH diamond to Hyatt GPP diamond. Check out the hyatt board for details.

Starwood matches Hilton diamond.

Radisson (or whatever they are calling themselves this week) have just status-matched me.

IHG/Priority Club (ie Crowne Plaza brand you mentioned) matched me to Platinum - very fast at doing so.

Marriott were hopeless - confused, slow etc. And they don't match 'status', rather they take the stays you had with HH and match the STAYS to their program - so you may be Diamond in HH (like me) but if your stay activity is lower than what is required for Marriott tiers then you will not get matched. I only got a Marriott silver (only benefit = more points). I qualified for HH Diamond on base points, but Marriott only look at stays it seems. YMMV!

Marriott doesn't normally do status matches. Instead, you would probably be offered a Challenge most likely to Gold (mid-tier level, 15 nights in 90 days) but Plat Challanges (18 nights in 90 days) aren't completely unheard of.

I've received Hyatt Diamond from Hilton Diamond... haven't tried SPG, don't want to waste that one yet... Marriott gave me nothing, not even matching my nights... though Marriott did give me gold just for signing up for an Air France Flying Blue account.

I've stayed at the Canary Wharf Marriott several times. If staying long-term, they have Executive Apartments, not too different in price than normal rooms and they have kitchenettes. Still a very nicely furnished room, mine was 2 rooms, but imagine they have a studio singel room option as well for a better price. Complimentary do-yourself laundry faciliteis too.

Be wary though, you do not accrue marriott rewards night points at Executive apartments, but do earn the miles per dollar spent. I sent a letter however with the complaint (as I was unaware and not getting the night credits made me miss platinum status by that number of nights, and I stayed there in December!) they kindly granted me Platinum for the next year anyway for asking.

For long-term, it's perfect, and adjacent to the DLR to get easy access to tube and other rail servies.

IHG/Priority Club (ie Crowne Plaza brand you mentioned) matched me to Platinum - very fast at doing so.

Marriott were hopeless - confused, slow etc. And they don't match 'status', rather they take the stays you had with HH and match the STAYS to their program - so you may be Diamond in HH (like me) but if your stay activity is lower than what is required for Marriott tiers then you will not get matched. I only got a Marriott silver (only benefit = more points). I qualified for HH Diamond on base points, but Marriott only look at stays it seems. YMMV!

My experience as well - PC matched me to plat. Hence, when I finish requalifying for diamond each year I flock to Priority. It's Marriot's loss in my eyes, they told me "no". So I don't stay with them anymore.

Marriott is a bear to make Plat and with the loss of club bennies on weekends it really is not worth much anymore. Mariott Plat never guaranteed breakfast, it was just provided in the club if there was one.

Mariott Plat never guaranteed breakfast, it was just provided in the club if there was one.This is not true. Gold and Plats are guaranteed breakfast at FS hotels (except Resorts) M-Fs. If a hotel does not have a lounge, then the hotel will provide a Heathly Start breakfast in their restaurant.

Also, most every non-FS Marriott provides 7 days a week free breakfast to everyone who stays there. (Courtyards being the exception.)

+1 Starwood Plat matched for my Hilton Diamond. Send them last 6 months or so of your stays, and a copy of your card. It took them one day to upgrade my status. Should work for Gold as well.

If my company gets much cheaper on travel I may end up matching to PC... man that's a lot of Holiday Inn Expresses to get a decent stay at a Crowne Plaza or Intercontinental... but maybe actually having promos will offset the pain.

i wonder if other hotel chains would status-match a HH diamond who only has four nights so far during the '09 calendar year (five more nights have been "advance-purchased through the end of june), but who:

(1) originally got his HH diamond status by completing a "8 stays in 45 days" challenge in mid-2008; and who

(2) will likely remain HH diamond in perpetuity anyway by virtue of his AMEX Surpass spending?

might be time to check out *wood....been hearing good things.